1. Field of the Invention
This field relates to touch gestures on a mobile device.
2. Background Art
Some mobile devices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable navigation devices (PNDs) and handheld game consoles, include touch screens. These devices accept input by detecting movements, known as touch gestures, of fingers or other objects in contact with the touch screen. Upon detection of a touch gesture, the mobile device, or an application stored thereon, may execute an action. For example, upon detection of a pinch touch gesture, a web browsing application may zoom out of a web page.
Mobile devices generally include lock screens to prevent unauthorized or unintentional access to the device. Mobile devices running the ANDROID operating system, available from Google Inc., enable a user to define a touch pattern gesture to unlock a touch screen. This feature, known as pattern unlock, enables a user to define a gesture to authenticate the user and unlock the device. Once the device is unlocked, user can execute functionality of the mobile device. However, unlocking the mobile device and then executing the desired action is a multi-step process and can be cumbersome.
Systems and methods are needed that enable users to access more easily functionality of a locked mobile device.